Unit Synopsis
In this unit, you will have the opportunity to practice fundamental nursing care, including the care of the older adult. You will apply the relevant Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Professional Standards and the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHS) in your practice as a nursing student. You will learn to identify risk and recognise and respond appropriately to the needs of the patient in the simulated and clinical environments. You will review the concept of scope of practice using the Decision-Making Framework (DMF) (NMBA, 2020). You are required to participate in a compulsory three (3) day, 24-hour residential school or equivalent prior to attending professional experience placement for this unit. This unit includes a 120 hour block professional experience placement in a clinical care environment. You must meet specific mandatory health, safety and security requirements to be eligible to attend each professional experience placement. Professional experience placements may be limited in your community, and you may be placed in other locations. Please be prepared financially and personally to cover the costs of relocating for placements. Due to the limited availability of placements, some block placements have start and/or end dates that fall outside standard term dates.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 1 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 1 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Pre requisites: NURS11164 NURS11166 NURS11165 OR NURS11172
Co-requisites: BMSC11010 NURS11169 OR NURS11173 Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School |
Compulsory Residential School View Unit Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. In-class Test(s) | 0% |
| 2. Professional Practice Placement | 0% |
This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: Student evaluation
My clinical placement was an incredible experience, providing me with invaluable hands-on learning and support from a fantastic team. It helped build my confidence and deepen my understanding of patient care in a real-world setting.
Continue to ensure students' readiness for clinical placement experience by providing rigorous residential school curricula.
All residential school content and simulation learning was reviewed by HOS and Unit coordinators prior to term commencement.
Source: Student evaluation
Some of the questions on the maths quiz during res school weren't good. I also felt like a lot of them were guesses because we weren't prepared well enough for it.
To review and refine questions in the medication and maths quiz. Ensure students are adequately informed and prepared for the quiz before undertaking the task.
All quiz questions were reviewed by the UCs prior to term commencing. Maths-based ALC 1:1 sessions and zoom tutorials were available for students in first 4 weeks of term. These were highlighted on the Moodle page and students were encouraged to attend via announcements, video introduction on Moodle and email. Medication safety and medication calculation was reviewed as a group in first session of residential school, prior to medication quiz.
Source: SUTE Data
I found residential school, didn't really prepare me for placement for things regarding assisting patient movements and ADL's
Safe mobilisation of patients and assistance with daily activities such as feeding and showering are covered in the residential school content. HOS and Unit Coordinators to review amount of time spent engaging in this activity during residential school.
In Progress
Source: SUTE Data email feedback from clinical facilitators in industry
During placement, it would be beneficial to have a skills checklist available in addition to the ANSAT form. This would allow students to track and evidence their progress in specific clinical skills more effectively. For example, the checklist could include a set number of opportunities to complete and be observed performing core nursing tasks such as: - Conducting five sets of patient observations - Performing three wound dressings using aseptic technique - Assisting with a specified number of patient showers or hygiene cares Having this structured checklist would support clearer goal setting, enhance skill development, and ensure consistency in learning experiences across placements.
A list of clinical skills within the scope of practice for PEP 1 students is provided on Moodle and also emailed to clinical facilitators at the commencement of placement. This could be adapted to a checklist format and could be useful for some students' learning to record their practice at clinical skills and keep track of skills they have not yet had an opportunity to practice. Students were advised that not all placements in NURS11170 would provide the same opportunity, given their differing patient cohort and clinical settings. Recommend the inclusion of a clinical skills checklist for students for consideration in 2026.
In Progress
Source: SUTE Data verbal student feedback during residential school
I also believe that for the students who have not seen what dementia can be like when there is aggression - should be spoken (sic) or shown a video clearly so that they are somewhat prepared as it is a scary sight to be confronted with on the first day of placement.
A video showing dementia from the perspective of the patient is currently shown in residential school. Virtual Reality Headsets or simulation activities such as Mask ed may be an alternative option for students to explore dementia, challenging behaviours and de-escalation skills. Recommend UC explore this possibility with Head of Simulation for 2026.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate evidence-based practice, clinical reasoning, and decision-making to provide culturally safe, quality, person-centred care consistent with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Professional Standards and the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (NSQHS) at a first-year student nurse level of practice in simulated and clinical environments.
- Safely and accurately perform medication calculations and demonstrate safe administration of medicines in both the simulated environment and the clinical practice setting.
- Apply theoretical knowledge and demonstrate provision of safe, appropriate, and responsive quality nursing care for consumers, families, and the broader community.
Content in this unit incorporates a number of professional nursing requirements
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Decision-Making Framework (DMF) - Nursing
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Registered Nurse Standards for Practice
Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice
Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships
Maintains the capability for practice
Comprehensively conducts assessments
Develops a plan for nursing practice
Provides safe, appropriate and responsive quality nursing practice
Evaluates outcomes to inform nursing practice
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Nursing Code of Conduct
Legal compliance
Person-centred practice
Cultural practice and respectful relationships
Professional behaviour
Research in health
Health and wellbeing
International Council of Nursing Code of Ethics for Nursing
Nurses and People
Nurses and Practice
Nurses and the Profession
Nurses and co-workers
National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards
Clinical governance
Partnering with consumers
Preventing and Controlling healthcare-associated infection
Medication safety
Comprehensive care
Communicating for safety
Recognising and responding to acute deterioration
Patient Safety Competency Framework
Person-centred care
Therapeutic communication
Cultural competence
Teamwork and collaborative practice
Clinical reasoning
Evidence-based practice
Preventing, minimising and responding to adverse events
Infection prevention and control
Medication safety
Aged Care Quality Standards
Consumer dignity and choice
Ongoing assessment and planning with consumers
Personal care and clinical care
Services and supports for daily living
Organisation’s service environment
Feedback and complaints
Human resources
Organisation governance
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - In-class Test(s) | • | • | |
| 2 - Professional Practice Placement | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • |
| 5 - Team Work | • | ||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | ||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | ||
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | ||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |